"He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!"

The outburst came less than a day after Mr Tillerson shared some unflattering observations about his former boss with CBS host Bob Schieffer.

He told described Mr Trump as a "challenging individual" who is "undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports".

Mr Tillerson added that the president "doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things", instead acting on what he believes.

As secretary of state, Mr Tillerson said he found himself warning the president that many of his proposed plans were likely illegal.

"The president will say here's what I want to do and here's how i'm going to do it," Mr Tillerson said.

Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didnt have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldnt get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!